Leprosy, Coming soon to a school near you.

"...In her senior year of high school, Nicole Holmes, a Trinidadian immigrant living in Atlanta, Ga., fell heavily against a balance beam during gym
class. She thought nothing more of it--but a few days later developed a rash on her knee, which was still numb and tingling where she had knocked it.
“I could stick a needle in it and I wouldn’t feel it,” she said. ..."

Having close relatives in a local educational institution, EMS, and the county hospital (pediatrics unit), I am hearing about a possible epidemic
which is not making it out to the public ear. The increase of rare communicable diseases present in school age children. Children, unfortunatly are
more suceptable to these diseases (such as Kawasaki disease), and their sufferage may just be beginning.

The influx of undocumented immigrants and their concentration in New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, and Illinois, vary directly with the
increase in number of school age population of K-12 kids, which varies proportionatly with the increase in infection of these, "unheard of in America
diseases" in children. The need for a leprosy clinic in NYC is downright scary. This is urgent.

We know undocumented citizens receive free health care and free innoculations so they may attend school without paying taxes....But because of
falsified documentation and Social Security fraud, some get thru without innoculations or a physical. Their parents, and close quarter relatives may
be carrying Hep, polio or the easily transmitted TB! The exponetial rate of increased number of school age children, compounded with crowding of
schools, and influx of communicable disease marks disaster. Schools are required by law to allow these children attendance, they are not allowed to
inquire about citizenship as long as the child resides in that particluar town:

"... In California, where illegal immigration is concentrated, the California State Department of Education estimates that 16 new classrooms
will need to be built every day, seven days a week, for the next five years - essentially one new school every day. The number of teachers will need
to be doubled within ten years, requiring 300,000 new educators...." Education - THE AMERICAN RESISTANCE FOUNDATION

"...Illegal aliens cross America’s borders medically unexamined. We shrug. We do not know what Illegal Aliens carry in their backpacks. We do not
know what they carry in their bodies..."
Madeleine Cosman -- Hospital to the World Welcomes Illegal Aliens & Contagious Diseases

"....A new case of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is diagnosed somewhere in the world every 60 seconds, but in the United States
outbreaks remain rare. Only about 130 new cases are discovered each year, mostly among immigrants from areas such as Mexico, India or the Caribbean,
where the disease is more widespread.

Over 100 cases were found in immigrants last year, more than double the number in 2000, and, while the number of cases is still comparatively small,
some researchers believe the trend could lead to leprosy spreading to the U.S.-born population.

It’s creeping into the U.S.,” said Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen’s Disease Clinic. “This is a real phenomenon. It’s a
public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody’s noticed..."
Leprosy in America: new cause for concern — JSCMS .

"...School enrollment increased by 14 percent between 1990 and 2000 and is now at an all-time high. At 53.1 million students, current enrollment
exceeds the baby boomer record set in 1970. Yet without school-age immigrants and illegal aliens and the children of immigrants and illegal aliens,
school enrollment would not have have risen at all during the 1990's..."- THE AMERICAN RESISTANCE FOUNDATION

"...Enrollment in grades 9-12 is projected to reach an all-time high of 15.8 million in 2005. Total enrollment will reach 55 million by 2020 and 60
million by 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Education. By 2100, the nation's schools will have to find room for 94 million students -
practically double the number of school-age children the nation has now..."
Education - THE AMERICAN RESISTANCE FOUNDATION

Do you really believe this is not a disaster waiting to happen? My own mother treats young patients with these diseases...Sometimes they dont return
for follow up care, and you cannot trace them.--They receive free care and walk away leaving incorrect SS #s and untracable addresses. They end up in
a playground ,or your school, or in your house with your kid. A disease from 1/2 around the world may be on a video game controller in your living
room! The hospital is failing from all the theft of healthcare the school taxes are thru the roof! Who is going to care or pay for this epidemic in
waiting?

"There are 200-250 new cases reported to the registry annually with about 175 of these being new cases diagnosed for the first time. The largest
number of cases in the United States (U.S.) are in California, Texas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Florida, New York and Puerto Rico."

".... in the 1970s and early 1980s, the country let its guard down and TB control efforts were neglected. As a result, between 1985 and 1992, the
number of TB cases increased. However, with increased funding and attention to the TB problem, we have had a steady decline in the number of persons
with TB since 1992. But TB is still a problem; more than 14,000 cases were reported in 2003 in the United States."

From personal and professional experience, it's not always so easy for an undocumented alien to receive medical care, or schooling (free or
otherwise); though both are indeed a serious problem, it might not be as endemic as certain sources would have us believe. Also, foreign-born
nationals who have legal immigrant status are also responsible for the rise in some reported diseases - including TB and Hansen's, by all accounts.
linky linky

Quote by Tinkleflower--
"....From personal and professional experience, it's not always so easy for an undocumented alien to receive medical care, or schooling (free or
otherwise); though both are indeed a serious problem, it might not be as endemic as certain sources would have us believe. Also, foreign-born
nationals who have legal immigrant status are also responsible for the rise in some reported diseases - including TB and Hansen's, by all accounts.
linky linky ...."
---Tinkleflower

Indeed it may not be easy for some, but in my town, its obviously a joke how easy it is. My hospital is collapsing under the burden. I happen to be
in an unusually concentrated area of undocumented citizens. Walk down the street and you are literally in a 3rd world country with a refuse and
overcrowding problem in the midst of otherwise wide open suburbia. People on the street day and night and a multitude of "code enforcement"
requests by firemen and police called for other emergency issues. It is a sad sight, really.
When it is a known fact that having a baby born in America makes things easier financially, why stop at one. Being very close to an L and D nurse,
and ped. ICU, and pediatric clinic nurse over the years, I will tell you just how simple it is to walk in have your baby and walk out, again and
again. The form is one page long for a non english speaker...My form was pages long, ID needed, insurance, billing address before I got close to a
doctor.

Dont tell me these people arent dropping babies as fast as they can. When I was in school we had 8 or 9 highschool girls who were pregnant, they
hadnt learned english yet, they just got here..It is just an automatic "in" for some cultures who come here. Start having american babies and dont
stop.--And incure no medical costs whatsoever.

When you pay 5000 dollars in school and property taxes, rotting garbage, sewer problems and overcrowed schools should not be an issue.

"Uncontrolled immigration

This is a nation of immigrants and we are the better for it.

But unlike previous waves of immigration, the current one is uncontrolled, consisting heavily of illegal immigrants. That means that countless people
are entering this country without having been screened for communicable diseases, felony convictions, etc..

1.5 million illegal aliens, one million from Mexico alone, illegally become US residents each year. And many of them soon obtain phony ID to obtain a
wealth of services compliments of the US taxpayers: subsidized housing, welfare, social security, etc. Exacerbating the problem, illegals’ birth
rate is more than double the US average, with each offspring, from birth, eligible for the myriad government programs available to citizens.

We're already seeing enormous effects of illegal immigration on:

Health care

Current US law entitles all illegals and their families to free emergency health care, and many jurisdictions provide far more extensive services than
that.

Our health care system is already overwhelmed. For example, thousands of Americans die each year because of lack of adequate nursing and other
medical care. Illegal immigrants, coming from poor countries, have great health care needs. And in addition to common diseases, illegals bring
challenges not normally faced in the US, for example, 7,000 new cases of leprosy in the past three years came in from Mexico, India, and Brazil,
16,000 new cases of multiple-drug-resistant, incurable, and communicable(!) tuberculosis. The Centers for Disease Control reports that illegal
immigrants account for over 65 percent of communicable diseases (TB, hepatitis, leprosy, AIDS, etc.,) in the US. Immigration officials are supposed to
screen out immigrants who are carrying diseases, but there is no health screening for illegal immigrants.

Illegals’ further burden the health care system because they disproportionately do heavy physical work, which causes their bodies to fall apart
faster, and because the violent crime rate among illegals is staggering (See below).

The burden of providing health care to illegals extends beyond disease and saving crime victims. For example, because of illegals’ high birthrate,
in Colorado, which has a mere(?) 100,000 illegal immigrants, taxpayers in 2003 alone paid for 6,000 illegals to have their babies. That’s 40% of the
births Medicaid paid for in the state. To get immediate care, the illegal must only say “I am undocumented...."

Great post Kris. I have been posting this for months and it usually finds it's way to Below Top Secret right away. I have no idea why as it is
VERY important.

I am neither a racist, a hate monger or a vigilante or anything like that. However I am a concerned American

What is being allowed to happen is a travesty and if not pulled within check NOW will be the undoing of America. An invasion from within if you will.

They are bankrupting America. Virtually every tax payer funded program has and or will be bankrupt..ie. hospitals, prisons school...... and on and on.
They like to come here and have an "anchor baby" each baby costs the American taxpayer $8,000, then each child they have costs the American taxpayer
$7,000 per child a year. I won't even go into the prisons wich cost about $47,000 a year to keep behind bars. Btw, Americans paying these bills is a
violation of the 14th amendment (don't believe me - look it up). We really have a Leave no Mexican behind act as they have MORE rights than we do.

Soon we will be in a 3rd world quagmire with over population like China because they don't use birth control and slowly the entire family makes it
out here. Right now there is a very liberal estimate of illegals at 30 million. If the rate of growth continues by 2030 we could have an estimated
200-600 million population. Where will the water come from? Where will the land come from? Where will the money to pay for the roads to be made and
repaired? Most of them do not pay taxes.

They are bringing in 3rd world diseases that we haven't seen since the 1960's such as leprosy also known as Hansen's disease, hepatitis and
tuberculosis. Is your child in public school? He or she may be sitting next to one of these infected clinics. In fact, the east coast now has 11
clinics for these diseases open. A lot of the illegals work in restaurants and fast food. But if they have these diseases or get sick they don't seek
treatment because they don't want to get caught.

They are destroying the middle class. A factory worker used to enjoy a working wage that was $16-18 per hour and benefits. Now because of cheap
illegal alien labor they make between $6-8 an hour with no benefits.

I could go on and on but I won't.

How can we fix it?

Have all the illegals deported back to Mexico
Put a 10 year moratorium on LEGAL IMMIGRATION here.
Make English the official language - many of them are illiterate in both languages
Go to their countries now and give them birth control and food
Surround our boarders, - its not only Mexicans getting in.

In 1965 the USA would only allow 170,000 immigrants per year. Which worked out well because that is about how many left a year. Now its
millions!!!!!!!!

America is being invaded right under our nose. The government knows but does nothing about it. In fact, Colorado's governor Bill Owens has a hand out
telling them how to get free medical treatment and how to get jobs. It's all about votes baby!

Every American should be as outraged as I am. There is something you can do about it go here www.alipac.us... Write the White House,
write your congress person, but for God's sake do something NOW!

Originally posted by MauiStacey
Great post Kris. I have been posting this for months and it usually finds it's way to Below Top Secret right away. I have no idea why as it is
VERY important.

"...I am neither a racist, a hate monger or a vigilante or anything like that. However I am a concerned American ..."

"...Every American should be as outraged as I am. There is something you can do about it go here www.alipac.us... Write the White
House, write your congress person, but for God's sake do something NOW!..."

[edit on 28-7-2005 by MauiStacey]

THANK YOU MauiStacey!

Noone believes me when I say what I say. I see the devastation of overcrowding--the direct impact of illegal immigration. Overnight quiet suburbia
becoming a garbage dump of exess refuse, dirty water and a multitude of code violations all protected by the United State government. Our county
medical Center is now a baby farm for undocumented citizens for their anchor family and is now closing. Free Free Free, except for me. I am a
struggling blue collar family unable to carry the burden any longer, my town is collapsing, leaving the rich completely unaware of the dangers of
undocumented immigrants they employ. Leaving the Illegals with full knowlege of every loop hole, and state perk for their American born children and
now grandchildren. -- And pushing me right out of my own home due to rising taxes and unaffordable health care.

People are crazy to think there is no health risk involved here because it isnt in there town... yet.

Even Lou Dobbs (notorious for over-estimating such things) has the figure at around 20 million.

This isn't even touching on the obvious flaws in thinking; leprosy isn't some newfangled disease just being introduced. Neither is TB.

Furthermore:

" In 2002, 763,917 new cases were detected worldwide, and in that year the WHO listed Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Nepal as
having 90% of Hansen's disease cases." Those nations are nowhere near the list of "Top of the class" as far as illegal immigrants are
concerned.

Campaign locally and nationally for more money to be allocated to the Immigration/Naturalization services - this is where the problem lies. There
simply isn't the manpower to track everyone...and despite it being another popular misconception, the real problem isn't with people entering
the country illegally, at all. It's with people entering legally, and not leaving when they should - iow, overstaying their visas. These illegals
by far make up the majority.

I can understand the frustration; I'm a legal immigrant, who had to do things the hard (expensive, and legal) way....it's frustrating to see others
getting benefits to which I'm unable to qualify, for example.

But it's also frustrating to see so many misconceptions that, although popular, have very little substance in fact.

And for what it's worth....sorry, but no. Illegals certainly don't have "more rights and more help" than citizens.

"English as second language classes costs taxpayers billions of dollars. The cost of educating California's three million illegal aliens and
their children exceeds $2.2 billion annually""

"It's called multi-drug resistant myco-bacterium TB, and it kills two million people worldwide annually. Last fall a year ago, 30 kids
tested positive, along with four teachers, in a small town north of Detroit, Michigan. "

"hepatitis A, over 100,000 cases have migrated into our country from illegal aliens...If your child sits in a classroom with illegal aliens,
he is at risk."

Worse, in the past five years, 7,000 new cases of leprosy (Source: Hansen's Disease, Lerner, New York Times, February 28, 2003) have migrated
into the USA from illegal aliens from India, Brazil, and the Caribbean. It's now endemic to the East Coast, for the first time in the history of the
United States. If your child interacts with an illegal alien child carrying leprosy, your child may come home with a new case of this ancient disease.

"The meatpacking plants imported over 2,000 illegal aliens, and their children now dominate the Austin classrooms into an educational
nightmare."

As I stated, my town has a high concentration of illegal aliens, 2 years ago there was a TB outbreak in a school that affected over 50 students and
teachers. I have to admit I do not know the source as I could not find it stated anywhere.

Did you know its against the 14th amendment to give financial help and services to illegal aliens? Well it is!! and it makes me madder than
hell!

What on Earth are you talking about?

the Fourteenth Amendment says "All persons born or naturalized in the United States .... are citizens of the United States and of the state
wherein they reside."

Amendment XIV deals with the guarantee of enfranchisement of freed slaves, and also said that if you'd been a Confederate oath-taker, you couldn't
become Senator or Representative or whatever.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with "financial help to aliens".

Have you even read that particular amendment?

Ok I guess what MauiStacey meant was:

6 babies are born to illegal immigrant Jane. Under the 14th amendment, the 6 children are legal citizens of the United States. The sky is the
limit. The baby is not taking the money to support itsself, the parent is supporting the parent + the baby. Noone is stopping them from having
children, noone is stopping you from paying for them. It is the big baby machine, and it theivery.

Between 300,000 and 350,000 achor babies are born a year . they instantly qualify for welfare. How long do you think we can afford this load. The
parents are undocumented and pay no taxes yet reap the benifit of the system.

I can attest to the fact that there are a huge amount of illegals living in the Los Angeles area. Due to uncollectable debts incurred by undocumented
aliens and homeless persons, a major hospital in the San Fernendo Valley was shut down a few months ago. The other large county funded hospitals are
now on the verge of closing. Hansen's disease was virtually unknown in the mainland USA, until the last 29 years or so, at which time illegal
immigration soared. Maybe if certain liberal and conservative thinking peoples would get off their keyboards and do their own housework it would help
bring a stop to this tough and inter-related problem.

Hire licensed, trained domestics and pay a fair wage!

But then it is amazing how many 'Officers of the Court' (worthless do nothings) employ and abuse their illegal aliens.

An example of mis-informed politically correct thinking

Campaign locally and nationally for more money to be allocated to the Immigration/Naturalization services - this is where the problem lies.
There simply isn't the manpower to track everyone...and despite it being another popular misconception, the real problem isn't with people
entering the country illegally, at all. It's with people entering legally, and not leaving when they should - iow, overstaying their visas. These
illegals by far make up the majority.

I suggest you do a bit more reality based research and not the crap spewed out by the local educational system and others who make their money
from Illegal immigration.

i feel the same way as most of you. i had an experience with illegal aliens. when my 4 yr old was ready for school she was tested and found eligible
for the prgram, but was put on a waiting list. why, because the spanish children were intitled to not only the half day program that my daughter was
in, but they also stayed the reminder of the day to learn english as a second language. these illegal children were getting full day school when my
american born child of american indian decent was being put behind them on a waiting list. well, i got mad and when i was thru she got a place, but it
is very frustrating to deal with, and try going to walmart on the weekend. these foreigners, driving new trucks, with babies and pregnant ladies
everywhere, spending moneythat i wouldn't see in a month of me and my husband working full time, going to my doctor and getting spoken to in spanish
before english, etc.
i agree that something needs to be done. the hospitals, health departments, everywhere is getting crazy wuth helping them. these people get
things easier than tax paying citizens that can trace their ancestors to the mayflower.we can't feed and house the kids we've got on govnt assitance
now, how many more forigners are gonna take the place away from our children?

I can attest to several things, one of which is spending four years as an advocate/liaison for refugee, landed-but-illegal and undocumented aliens;
despite what you may have been led to believe, there is a major problem with the "disappeared" category. These are the folk who enter
legally, using a tourist, student or labor-based visa (these are the most common), and simply do not return to their host countries when the visa
expires.

With documentation showing their legal (if temporary) status, it's much, much easier to obtain a driver's license and convince a potential employer
that you're a legal resident; it is infinitely more difficult (though it does happen) for an undocumented alien (ie, entered illegally) to
accomplish this.

Lack of resources is the main reason for this happening - there's nothing in place to track visa-holders once they've entered the country, simply
because there's such a desperate shortage of staff and financial resources.

It's a simple (but common, sadly) misconception to believe that only "sneaked across the border" immigrants who are the problem. Illegal
immigration is a massive strain on resources, but it's inaccurate to conclude that it's only those who enter illegally who are the problem.

(It would help if certain businesses were a tad more ethical in their hiring practices; it's true that if the opportunity for cheap labour arises,
certain employers will jump at the chance)

To summarise..some of us who are sitting at our keyboards have actually worked with both immigrants and the Immigration services, and have had first
hand experience in the reality of landed versus non-landed, documented versus undocumented aliens.

And this is why campaigning on both a local and national level is often the first step towards progress.

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